Anyone log their exercise as less just incase?

petrinaradford
petrinaradford Posts: 77 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So rather than entering a brisk walk id enter it as moderate so that way just in case. I’d rather under estimate calories earnt from exercise than over.

Replies

  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Nope, I entered what I did, observed, compared with collected data, then adjusted. .

    I’m not a numbers person so I like being as accurate as possible. Saved work down the road.

    If you are going to under estimate do it consistently until you can compare with your real world results, then adjust.

    Cheers, h.
  • TheMrWobbly
    TheMrWobbly Posts: 2,541 Member
    I don't change the exercise but I do down rate the calorie burn given. As I use the 'mapmy...' apps it was easy and I just dropped my weight by 3 stone so it gave me less credit. Even then I only eat back around 1/2 of exercise calories.
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,023 Member
    I log it as listed and check it against other calculators out there and average them. I don't eat back all the calories anyway, so I am safe.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,393 Member
    Yeah, whatever you do just be consistent with it so you can adjust appropriately if you lose too quickly or not as planned. Under eating is just as bad as over eating.

    I know the desire to make it go faster (weight loss) but you can't game the system. The body needs fuel.

    I think with a moderate walk there isn't much burned anyway, but I'd just try to keep it simple.
  • petrinaradford
    petrinaradford Posts: 77 Member
    Yeah it told me I burnt 279 calories for 30 minute brisk walk. I was power walking & I did break a sweat. Just not sure if I burnt 279 calories, I sure hope so anyway haha.

    Also I try not to eat/drink back the calories too, but some days I do. Some days I’ve gone over, not good.

    I’m on 1200 calories a day.

    It feel like it takes so long to shift the tiniest bit of weight. Guess I’ll get there...
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    No.
    I instead make my estimates reasonable using methods appropriate to the particular exercise - often that's not the database here.

    Deliberately skewing data compromises the usefulness of that data.
  • petrinaradford
    petrinaradford Posts: 77 Member
    Yes skewing data compromises the usefulness of that data- makes sense. But I just wonder how accurate it is. It told me I burnt 279 calories in a brisk walk 30mims. Yes I power walked/brisk walk.
    Hopefully it’s true 😊
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    petrinaradford wrote: »
    Yes skewing data compromises the usefulness of that data- makes sense. But I just wonder how accurate it is. It told me I burnt 279 calories in a brisk walk 30mims. Yes I power walked/brisk walk.
    Hopefully it’s true 😊

    Highly unlikely sadly.

    Walking isn't something I would use the database for.
    I would use the formula bodyweight in pounds X distance in miles X common efficiency ratio of 0.30

    You could start from that net calorie estimate (it's just the extra you burned from that walk) and add a bit of an adjustment if your terrain was hard or if you think power walking makes a significant enough difference.
  • hmhill17
    hmhill17 Posts: 283 Member
    They don't have an option in MFP for my walking speed, so I use the 3.5MPH option. And it's lower than all the other calculators I've tested, and I've got a steady downward trend in the weight loss, so I feel confident I'm not over reporting calorie burn.
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
    I don't deliberately understate, but I do err on the 'under' side. For example, I'll enter a 50 minute BodyPump session as 45 minutes to account for the time spent stretching and faffing between tracks rather than doing actual BodyPumping. And if I have to go light in squats, or skip part of lunges, I'll cut it a little further. Similarly, at least 5 minutes of an hour's BodyBalance is meditation, so I cut that.
  • petrinaradford
    petrinaradford Posts: 77 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    petrinaradford wrote: »
    Yes skewing data compromises the usefulness of that data- makes sense. But I just wonder how accurate it is. It told me I burnt 279 calories in a brisk walk 30mims. Yes I power walked/brisk walk.
    Hopefully it’s true 😊

    Highly unlikely sadly.

    Walking isn't something I would use the database for.
    I would use the formula bodyweight in pounds X distance in miles X common efficiency ratio of 0.30

    You could start from that net calorie estimate (it's just the extra you burned from that walk) and add a bit of an adjustment if your terrain was hard or if you think power walking makes a significant enough difference.
    sijomial wrote: »
    petrinaradford wrote: »
    Yes skewing data compromises the usefulness of that data- makes sense. But I just wonder how accurate it is. It told me I burnt 279 calories in a brisk walk 30mims. Yes I power walked/brisk walk.
    Hopefully it’s true
  • petrinaradford
    petrinaradford Posts: 77 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    petrinaradford wrote: »
    Yes skewing data compromises the usefulness of that data- makes sense. But I just wonder how accurate it is. It told me I burnt 279 calories in a brisk walk 30mims. Yes I power walked/brisk walk.
    Hopefully it’s true 😊

    Highly unlikely sadly.

    Walking isn't something I would use the database for.
    I would use the formula bodyweight in pounds X distance in miles X common efficiency ratio of 0.30

    You could start from that net calorie estimate (it's just the extra you burned from that walk) and add a bit of an adjustment if your terrain was hard or if you think power walking makes a significant enough difference.



    Yes ok, so can you give me an example of how to use that formula to calculate my calories burnt. So far I understand weight x’s distance.... then what?
  • petrinaradford
    petrinaradford Posts: 77 Member
    ceiswyn wrote: »
    I don't deliberately understate, but I do err on the 'under' side. For example, I'll enter a 50 minute BodyPump session as 45 minutes to account for the time spent stretching and faffing between tracks rather than doing actual BodyPumping. And if I have to go light in squats, or skip part of lunges, I'll cut it a little further. Similarly, at least 5 minutes of an hour's BodyBalance is meditation, so I cut that.



    Yes that’s sort of what I meant. I feel as if I’m unsure of my calories burnt during walking so I wonder about trying to enter less into my entries. I have done body pump too & enjoyed it, but no longer have a gym membership anymore.
  • petrinaradford
    petrinaradford Posts: 77 Member
    hmhill17 wrote: »
    They don't have an option in MFP for my walking speed, so I use the 3.5MPH option. And it's lower than all the other calculators I've tested, and I've got a steady downward trend in the weight loss, so I feel confident I'm not over reporting calorie burn.



    I looked for this option, but couldn’t find it. Is there anything I can type to search it, in the exercise section?
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    I've totally done this. I tend to cut 10-15 mins off the time I did something, and I logged all cardio as "calesthenics-light/moderate". I'm on 1200 a day also and only have last 5 lbs to lose.

    The trainer at my gym actually told me to stop logging exercise on MFP. Because of the generosity of exercise log, and because i have such a small deficit window, she told me it was better to not log and thus not think i have calories to eat back. And I was eating back, because if the net number is green I totally think "oh i can have one more thing today".
  • petrinaradford
    petrinaradford Posts: 77 Member
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    I've totally done this. I tend to cut 10-15 mins off the time I did something, and I logged all cardio as "calesthenics-light/moderate". I'm on 1200 a day also and only have last 5 lbs to lose.

    The trainer at my gym actually told me to stop logging exercise on MFP. Because of the generosity of exercise log, and because i have such a small deficit window, she told me it was better to not log and thus not think i have calories to eat back. And I was eating back, because if the net number is green I totally think "oh i can have one more thing today".



    Oh yes me too, I think I’m seeing these exercise logs as extra points or something. Good idea, I might just not log my exercise, but still do as much as I can each day.
    Thank you. I have only just started MFP & I have a fair bit to go, about 28lbs... ahhh.
  • hmhill17
    hmhill17 Posts: 283 Member
    petrinaradford wrote: »
    [
    I looked for this option, but couldn’t find it. Is there anything I can type to search it, in the exercise section?

    When I search for walking, it's in the list as walking, 3.5 mph. At my height/weight, Nike said my walk today burned 300 calories in 35 minutes. Other apps have similar numbers. MFP 3.5 mph puts that at 228.

    The body weight x miles times modifier above puts it at 151, but that doesn't appear to take pace into account. Based on that, 1 mile at 1 mph is the same as 1 mile at 4 mph, unless the .3 is, for example, 3 mph. However, I wouldn't assume that.

    I've also used this calculator to check net vs gross:

    https://exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs

    For today, the calorie burn it had for Net calories was dead on what MFP had for my 3.5 mph calorie burn, so I call using that close enough in general.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    petrinaradford wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    petrinaradford wrote: »
    Yes skewing data compromises the usefulness of that data- makes sense. But I just wonder how accurate it is. It told me I burnt 279 calories in a brisk walk 30mims. Yes I power walked/brisk walk.
    Hopefully it’s true 😊

    Highly unlikely sadly.

    Walking isn't something I would use the database for.
    I would use the formula bodyweight in pounds X distance in miles X common efficiency ratio of 0.30

    You could start from that net calorie estimate (it's just the extra you burned from that walk) and add a bit of an adjustment if your terrain was hard or if you think power walking makes a significant enough difference.



    Yes ok, so can you give me an example of how to use that formula to calculate my calories burnt. So far I understand weight x’s distance.... then what?

    Your bodyweight multiplied by the number of miles you walk multiplied by 0.3 equals approx your net calories burned.

    (0.3 is a common efficiency ratio for walking in the normal speed range.)
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    petrinaradford wrote: »
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    I've totally done this. I tend to cut 10-15 mins off the time I did something, and I logged all cardio as "calesthenics-light/moderate". I'm on 1200 a day also and only have last 5 lbs to lose.

    The trainer at my gym actually told me to stop logging exercise on MFP. Because of the generosity of exercise log, and because i have such a small deficit window, she told me it was better to not log and thus not think i have calories to eat back. And I was eating back, because if the net number is green I totally think "oh i can have one more thing today".



    Oh yes me too, I think I’m seeing these exercise logs as extra points or something. Good idea, I might just not log my exercise, but still do as much as I can each day.
    Thank you. I have only just started MFP & I have a fair bit to go, about 28lbs... ahhh.

    Good deal, just make sure you don't stop moving just because you may not log it. If you find that you are losing incentive, you can always log exercise as a note, or keep a journal of what you did. That way you still see the progress you make =)

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